First Words
by Homerthe27
Summary: Summer begins to accept Yang as her daughter
1. Chapter 1

Babysitting Tai's little girl had quickly become one of Summer's favorite past time. She just adored the little kid ever since Raven just dropped her off into her life. She just found the girl so adorable and cute. She just loved watching the little girl squirm around and flail her tiny arms, and her saying the most beautiful gibberish. Just watching Yang interacting with the world was just a delight. She was the light in an otherwise dark situation.

No one had seen Raven for months after she ended things with Tai. She just took off to do who knows what in who knows where. A part of Summer didn't blame her for it; both of them knew the truth about Salem, about Ozpin's war against her. However, that part of her was overshadowed by the abandonment of her child, leaving Tai to pick up the pieces. She and Tai had just started dating, and he was finally beginning the process of getting over Raven and then she shows up in front of the door and dropped off the baby and left as fast as she came. Tai had no idea what he was doing, he tried his best, but he was new at the whole thing. He was in no way, ready to be a stay at home dad. So Summer volunteered to help with the girl the best she could. And for the next year or so she was able to watch the young girl learn how to crawl, walk (or in Summer's opinion, stomp)

Today he was special. Today he coaching her to talk. He wanted her first words recorded on his scroll. He spent most of the day leaning over her small little crib trying to get her to say dada. And he has been was unsuccessful, and his daughter only answered in adorable sloppy noises or dead silence.

"Come on Dragon, say dada. Dada!" Tai told the toddler, "Say Dada" only to be met with complete silence from the child. He has been at this for some time to no avail.

"Come on, Yang!" he said exasperated, "Say something."

"Easy their Dragon boy" Summer remarked, from her comfortable position on the couch which was lying all over it "You are not gonna get anywhere by coaching at her like that" chuckling at her boyfriend's futile attempt.

"You think?" He asked nervously, looking away from his scroll. "I am pretty sure she is supposed to be able to talk at this point. Do you think something is wrong?"

"Tai _I_ would stop talking to you if you kept blabbering to me for 2 hours straight." Summer told Tai jokingly. She found the whole first-word thing kind of hilarious. It was sweet of Tai to try to record the moment when it happens, but at the same time, he is just wasting a whole lot of storage on his scroll with a ton of videos of him egging on his 13-month-old kid.

"I mean, I don't want to miss it, and I want to savor the moment so that I can remember. I mean It feels like it was just yesterday Yang was learning how to crawl, and to stand."

"Tai just slow down your little girl isn't going anywhere, anyways don't you have like a meeting or something down at Signal?"

"Yeah I am having lunch with old man Tan," Tai said putting his Scroll away in his pocket, Professor Tan was Tai's old teacher back when he attended the Signal as a child. He was his homeroom teacher but has since worked his way up to principle. And according to Tai, he was strict as teachers come "Don't know what he could want, haven't seen him in forever."

"Yeah which teacher was he again? The one who made you write the Huntsmen creed a thousand times over the course the semester."

Her boyfriend grabbed his wrist as he got up. "Left-handed too, said it would help make me ambidextrous. It worked but, my hand was sore for ages." He got dressed, not in his usual weirdly casual way but just a hint of something more formal.

"You okay for watching Yang, right?" Tai asked as he began to head out the door.

"Of course," Summer told him, getting up from the couch "I just love hanging out with the little fireball" She leaned over Yang's crib and started making faces at the baby. "As long as she doesn't start another fire."

"Please don't remind me," Tai said cringing at the memory of the incident "Carter's was the oldest building on the island until she threw her tantrum."

"Don't worry about it we will be fine, Yang is already used to me. Look!" Yang stood up lifting her hands signaling Summer that she wants up. Too which Summer happily obliged. "You have nothing to worry about Yang, and I are gonna have another _explosive_ time."

"Please don't "

"Only teasing Tai, now go and meet your teacher, we will be having all the fun."

"Alright," he said, getting up and planting a kiss on Summer's cheek and then another one to his daughter. "Love you both," as he walked out the door. Immediately after he left, Summer gave her niece a look.

"Well, then Yang, you know what time it is?"

The girl just stared blankly at Summer and made some cooing sounds, interpreting as a sentence Summer

"It's fun o'clock with your Aunty Summer!", she immediately put on a pair of shades on Yang's face.

She then proceeds to play with the toddler for hours on end. She made all the goofy faces that she could do, watched all of the puppetry programmings on the scroll network, something that even she got a kick out of watching. Of course, there was the occasional diaper change, along with incidents where Summer was glad she brought her spare cape (and that it was laundry day). She was having the time of her life, and she would like to think that Yang was also having fun with her. Yang was just at the age of her piecing together the rules of tag, though at an adorably small pace.

As the two of them were in the midst of a pseudo game of tag, another puppet song came on. Yang then decided that it was once again to do her little dragon dance, or at the very least that is what Tai calls it. Her entire shtick is just Yang bending her knees while she spread her and she would turn side to side like she was flying, it was one of the most cutest things that Summer has ever witness.

"Wow, look at you little dragon," she hummed, "soar through the sky."

As she danced, Summer couldn't help but stare at the girl not only because she was beautiful, but because of how much she looked like her parents. She inherited her father's hair, those burning blonde hair. Though she could not deny that Yang had her mother's complexion, her face almost mirrored hers. The child's eyes, on the other hand, were a mystery to her. She was no expert on genetics, but from what she understood, blue eyes + red eyes don't make you have purple eyes, though not like she was complaining, her little eyes were like treasure. Yang got the best feature of both her parents all bundled up into one small body of perfection.

Then it came lunchtime, and Yang started to get fussy, slamming both of her fists on the ground showing Summer that she was hungry.

"Oh, I guess its time for some yum-yum," she told Yang in her sing-songy voice as she picked yang up and walked over to the kitchen. "So do you want so Yams today or some carrots."

She then opened the fridge to find empty, void of all baby food. Unfortunately, Yang was at the age where she started to develop the habits of a picky eater.

"Huh, looks like your dad forgot to get the baby food" Summer then caught Yang's grumpy face "I mean toddler food."

Now, she has to go out and get some baby food at the local store to prevent another house fire. Luckily the general store on Patch was several blocks away from the barbershop, so it was relatively untouched by the fire. So she decided to go there and take her cute little niece with her.

"Ready for a little ride, Yang?"

Yang made baby grunt in a sign of approval. Immediately she put the little arsonist in her strapper and gave her a bottle to hold her over till she gets some food. Then the two were off. Since their house is a little out of the way, but Summer enjoyed The peacefulness of the January air, the calm of winter winding down. It was nothing like the winters back at her birthplace in Mantle, but it was much more gentle, a little bit tame. It was a nice slow pace, compared to the rest of Summer's life. And what a time to experience such a beautiful of such ponderous scene then, by watching it through the tree line

"Strapped in their little fireball?" she asked

"Awaabwah,"

Summer took that to mean yes. On that queue, Summer generated just enough Aura to protect Little Yang and pounced on the nearest tree and proceeded to hop across the tree line. Was it necessary for her to do this? No, but was it fun for her and most of all, Yang. Yes, So it was worth it.

"Ahhwahhaa" Little Yang announced as she jumped between branches, showing her enjoyment of the ride. The joyous sound brought a smile to Summer's face, '_could this child be anymore cuter?'_ She thought. Summer came to the logical conclusion that it was impossible. She looked up to the midday sky, and the clouds began to cover the air in a silky gray blanket showing sign that more snow was about to fall. She and Yang would be fine, she has heard nothing about a blizzard stewing and with Yang being a literal ball. And after a series of treetop jumps later they finally made their way to town. Patch was a weird town; it was unlike the kingdom's with its elegant structures and ancient buildings, nor was it a village relying on Huntsmen protection.

It was a simple town, modern, small and friendly. Summer briskly walked past the old barbershop, putting up her hood so she wouldn't be recognized and continued on her mary way. On the way, she took some time and took in the architecture of the surrounding building. The buildings were all old, most of them were pre-war but they well kept and beautiful. The shining gray bricks and square foundation all stood tall and fresh as if they were made yesterday. It gave some character to Vale's oldest colony. It reminded her of her former home back in Mantle, of simpler times. But it was best for her not to dwell much on it.

After a few minutes of window gazing the town, they approached Scroll-Mart. As she entered the store, s in the seat on cart, and Summer began moving through the isle. After finding some snacks for her to indulge in, she made her way to the toddler food aisle. Wall sky high with all kinds of food that were grown and turned into canned mush. After scanning the wall of the store for a bit, Yang pointed to Something behind Summer. Sure enough, it was the cans of yams next to the carrots; Yang's favorite.

"Ok, fireball" Summer told her niece flatly, "You have two options. Yams or the Carrots"

Yang looked directly between the two cans. Her eyes were darting back and forth, neither one resting on the other until finally, she lets out a small burp.

"Yams it is" Summer declared, and added several cans of Yam into her cart. That choice was for the best, out of the two, Yams had the best track record of being, more contained when consumed. With the food gotten and Summer's snacks retrieved, she made her way to the checkout aisle.

As she was turning down the aisle, she heard a familiar voice.

"Summer? Summer Rose?" the voice said, Summer turned and saw a woman her age. She had silver-white hair, that balanced out her fair, dark skin; it was complimented with her emerald green eyes. She wore nothing outstanding, just regular casual clothing that could be found at any Dust-Republic.

"Yes?" she replied, cautiously moving her hand to protect Yang. There was something about her that was familiar, but Summer did not immediately recognize it. This made her a little uneasy.

"Oh, my Oum it is you! I haven't seen you forever," she squealed a little bit. Catching Summer of guard a little bit. The ditzy girl bopped up and down a little bit in excitement.

"I am sorry...who are you," Summer asked. Immediately the girl froze, in panic and all the color seemed to drain from her face. Her eyes widen in realization for a brief second. Summer was scared that she made the girl die from embarrassment. She had no idea how to respond when all of a sudden, the girl threw her palm at her face and started to giggle a little bit. "My bad! I guess it has been almost two decades since we have last seen each other. It's me, Ivory!"

"...Ivory?" Summer said to herself, taking a moment to ponder the name. Then it hit her. "Ivory Kindlic!?" she exclaimed. The girl nodded. Summer was in shock, stood before was her childhood friend. Immediately her mind flashed with all the childhood memories. From their time playing together recess, learning how to ride a bike together and learning how to pick a lock.

Summer quickly embraced her old friend. "Oh, my Gods" Summer exclaimed, "What are you doing in Patch?"

"Oh, I was forced to use vacation days. I was renting out a beach house by the shore the past week. You?"

"Oh, I live here. I have a little cabin out in the woods," she told her friend, who looked at her star-struck. Summer remembered that she wanted to be a lumberjack at some point. Guess the idea of living in the forest still intrigued her.

"This is amazing! I haven't seen you since we left Saint Solferino's" Summer joyfully exclaimed, "How have you been?"

"Oh, I have been great. I am a lead animator for a studio back in Atlas."

"Wow, work on anything I have seen?" leaned Summer into her friend.

"I don't know, do you watch Invader Lim?" Ivory told her smugly, crossing her arms.

Summer has, she's a fan of it. She watches it sometimes during Yang's naps." Wow, all that drawing in the middle of class helped, huh?"

Her friend merely shrugged, "I may have earned the wrath Sister Cas, but it got me where I am today!"

"Man, I haven't thought of that old hag in years" Summer replied cringing at the strict nun, how she would enforce rules on the student's till the sun went down. It was awful, to say the least. "Is she still alive?"

"Was still kicking it last time I checked" Ivory exclaimed, "I think she just turned 103 a while back."

"What?" Summer laughed in surprise "I could have sworn she was like 200 when we were there."

"HA!" Ivory chuckled, knocking her head back in a pose that left her staring at the ceiling.

"What about you sum?" She asked dramatically, after performing a sick backflip, "What have _you_ been doing?"

"Oh, I am a huntress now," She told her friend, "Been active, about oh, ten years?"

"Wow, thank you for your service," she told her, doing the customary bow, though a little more flamboyantly. "I guess you took Sister Cas's teachings to heart, huh?"

"Hell no!" she laughed, off the very notion of being inspired by that miserable old woman.

"Heuwbla?" said a small voice coming from the cart.

Summer let out a small squeak. She had forgotten for a moment that Yang was there. She quickly covered her ears, hoping that Yang didn't catch that. The last thing Tai needs is for his daughter's first words to be a curse.

Ivory noticed Summer's reaction and looked down, and noticed the little Yang. If a person could have heart-shaped eyes, Ivory did it right then and there.

"Oh. My. Gods. Who is this little thing?" Ivory bent down to Yang's eye with a smile on her face. Yang was happy to be at the center of attention again, squirmed and squealed in delight.

Summer smiled picking up Yang from the cart, "This young woman, here is Yang" Slipping back on her baby shades, "The coolest baby in Patch."

"Wahbha" The baby grunted, crossing her arms.

"Sorry, toddler," Summer corrected. Immediately, her face began to light up again.

"Wow so smart, and beautiful too," Ivory complimented. She looked down and talked again in a baby voice, "You are so lucky to have such a good mama."

"What!" Summer exclaimed, "Oh, no, she is not mine."

"Gasp!" Ivory gasped and took a step back in astonishment.

"What?" Summer looked around, worried that Ivory had spotted something "What is it?"

"Don't tell you got your hands on cloning technology!"

"What?" Summer asked, confused. She looked down at the small toddler now feasting away on her fingers. "She is my niece."

"Niece?" Ivory questioned, "You have a niece?"

"She is my boyfriend's kid," She told her, while she gently pulled the hand out of Yang's mouth. "I am just watching her for the day."

Ivory scratched the back of her head. "Oh I am sorry, I guess I jumped to conclusions. My bad!"

"It's fine," Summer told her friend. "Its nice too see you haven't changed too much"

Ivory face gotten a little red at the comment. "Awww, Same to you"

Summer didn't believe the comment, but she appreciated the sentiment.

Then suddenly she heard a scroll vibrate. Ivory took her scroll out and looked at the clock. Immediately Ivory's face began too sour, and let out an exhausted sigh. "That my queue, My shuttle is leaving soon."

"Oh, you're going already?" Summer asked, slightly disappointed. She hoped to have more time to hang out with her since it been a while since she has last seen her.

"Sorry, the executives are quite strict when it comes to vacation times. I was actually in this store to get some snacks for the flight" Summer looked at her watch to, Tai was going to be home soon. She might as well head back. Then a light-ball went off in her head.

"Hey, you have a scroll now! Let's exchange Scroll ID's." Summer suggested

"Sure!" Ivory pulled out her scroll and synced it up with Summer.

"It was so good seeing you again," Summer said, hugging her one last time. "It has been far too long."

"Yah" Ivory she pulled out of the embrace but the two still held onto each other. "It's nice to see the old orphanage didn't crush our souls completely."

"Nah, it crushed the part of me that liked sleeping on rotten mattresses and taking rat-infested showers."

She waved goodbye to her friend and the two began to go there separate ways. But before they did a nagging questioned formed in the back of Summer's mind. She turned around, "Why did you think she was mine?"

"Huh," Ivory turned around.

"Why did you think Yang was mine?" she gestured to the small one.

"You mean besides the fact that you are holding a baby?" She asked, confused, "You kinda hope that if someone is holding a child that its's theirs."

"Yeah, but you also said she was my clone. She looks nothing like me."

"That's not true," she said, backing out of the door "She has your smile!"

That comment took Summer by surprise, she was going to ask for clarification, but Ivory just zipped out of the store. Never breaking eye-contact with her until she turned the corner, and out of sight.

Summer then proceeded to pay for the round of baby food, as well as her treats before she started the walk home.

That whole experience was surreal, and it was so weird seeing her friend after so long. She couldn't help but mellow on the time the two spent apart. Summer's whole outlook on the world has changed since the last time she saw her. She is a completely different person, now. She probably wouldn't even recognize her old self. Nor would her young self recognize her. She finally found a family, through her friends and teammates. Though she has also seen the true meaning of the world too, it was different from the one they had imagined as kids, but she wouldn't change it for anything. Then, of course, there was her comment about Yang.

She glanced back at Yang when she was putting back on her strap. Ivory had called Yang her clone, no she mistook her for her Raven, Yang's real mother.

Summer clenched her fist. She couldn't believe her friend would abandon her child like that. It was unfair for Yang to grow up without a mother. Summer knew all too well the feeling of abandonment, and she loathed it. She wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Then without warning, she couldn't help but remember her parents, her family. She could barely remember them anymore; their face's have long since faded in her memory. Any happy memory she shared with them had become sad, and depressing.

"Muwha?"

Summer quickly snapped out of her trance. She was still in the parking lot of the store, and it had started to snow. "Sorry Yang, guess I was a little lost in thought for a moment. Let's get home."

She did not run across the treetop on her way back, she walked back to the house, with a little hum in her step to try and put Yang to sleep. Though it did not affect, it was cute hearing Yang's attempt at humming along. While this is cute, this will also backfire later, as if Yang doesn't get her one o'clock nap she will get cranky and will wake her and Tai up in the middle of the night and this night was Summer's turn.

After some time they did make it to their little cabin in the woods, and before Tai. _'How_ _strange_' Summer thought, sure Tai would have been back by now. "Your father must be having some lunch, huh" to which the Toddler nodded in agreement.

She proceeded to open the door into the house and sat Yang down to feed her yams. Summer gave the standard Airplane song that she usually used with Yang. She wouldn't eat anything unless Summer perform some form of Musical intervention too which Summer was so happy to comply. She devoured it all fast rate. Summer guessed that the bottle didn't hold her off as well as she thought it would. In the end, they went through three of the Yam canisters before Yang pronounced herself full.

"You sure eat a lot, huh?" Summer asked Yang, staring into the young girls' eyes as she began to process the food they had eaten. She let out a small burp that came out almost like a squeak.

"Sister Cas wouldn't have approved of that" She muttered to herself. "But _I_ do" She then let out a belch of her own, to which gave cause Yang to provide her with a little round of applause before raising her arms.

"You wanna go up?" Summer asked, and swooped her up before Yang can give her a proper answer. She began to make her way to Yang's room, slowly dancing her way there, cradling Yang with each step as to calm her down. Summer saw her eyes began to get heavy as she approached her crib.

"I guess its nap time little fireball," she told Yang as she removed the baby shades from off her face. She stared into Yangs eyes, those beautiful pearl colored eyes, as she danced her way to her crib. As she was about to put Yang to bed, she suddenly had an idea.

"Wanna send a video to daddy before you go to bed? You know how he loves those videos," She asked. Yang said nothing but continue to look stare stary-eye at Summer, to which summer gave a soft smile. "I will take that as a Yes."

She took out her scroll and opened up the camera.

"Hey Tai," Summer said as she put herself and Yang in the frame. The two of us took a little trip into town, don't worry, we didn't set it on fire. Anyway, Yang is about to go to nap, and I know you like to be too see her nap, so I decided to record it for you since you like recording precious moments. Anyway, Yang do you wanna say something to dada before you go take your rest."

Yang just continued to stare at Summer, not even processing that the camera was on. "Come on say something."

"Mama"

"Yeah, Mama..." she froze the smile faded away from her face. She turned to Yang, who gave out a small smile.

"What did you just say?"

"Mama!" she exclaimed.

Summer didn't know what to do or say. Her mind ran a thousand miles in a matter of seconds. She could not correctly process what has happened. '_Mother? I ... No, I am not..._' Her breathing started to speed up, and her chest grew heavy. Her palms began to sweat, and turn numb from an invisible chill._' Mother? I am not her'_ She dropped her scroll on the ground and carefully put Yang down in her crib. The old memories that she had tried to forget. The fate of her father, the suffering of her mother, and overall the end of her childhood. Summer made her way into the living room, slowly without thought or movement. Images of a young child that was no-more flashed came through her mind. The coldness of his body rang out through Summer's. She grabbed anything she could find as support. She needed it. She felt as if the whole house was falling in on itself. _'I am a mother?...no'_

"I am not," she told herself

"Not what?"

Summer jumped, she turned around and saw Tai coming through the front door.

"Oh, I didn't hear you come in," Summer told him, still focused on what Yang had said

"I am coming in. Like right now," Tai with one foot in the room.

"Right right," she mumbled to her self, the numbness in her hands has yet to have gone away. "How was your meeting with Professor Ban?"

"Tan" Tai corrected, "And you are not gonna believe it, he came to tell me that he wants me to teach at Signal."

"That's good Tai," she replied half-heartedly.

"Yeah, apparently he has been tracking my progress since the vytal festival, and let's just say that he was impressed. he spent the last couple of hours trying to butter me up with benefits."

"Uh-huh," she replied, gripping her heart as it continued to race.

"Yeah, I am not sure that I am going to take i, sure it's a safe position, but I am don't think I am ... " He trailed off "Summer? Are you alright."

He noticed Summer was putting all her weight on the Table, in Truth she had a hard time keeping her legs from falling to the ground. "Yeah, yeah I am fine Tai, I just have to go and get some fresh air," she told him, and with what strength she had she walked right past Tai without making any eye contact. Tai might have tried to stop her or questioned her some more, but Summer didn't notice. She just needed to get out of there, just for now.

Her brisk walk turned into a full-on sprint with no direction, out across the white blanket that covered the ground.

She was not ready, not ready to be a mother again. Not ready for anything.

* * *

**AN: Why, Homer? Why do you keep doing this to yourself? WHY DO YOU KEEP BREAKING YOUR OWN PROMISES? YOU HAVE MANY UNFINISHED STORIES WHY ARE YOU MAKING MORE? YOU SAID THAT YOU WILL MAKE CODE RWBY 3!**

**Ok, writing rant aside, this fic idea is something I have been playing with for a long time. It's initially apart of my STRQ story in some form. However, that would have taken an unbelievable amount of time and energy to do, and I am a man with limited strength. So I moved it around made changed it a little bit and created a new story from it.**

**I am a really, really big fan of Summer and Yang's relationship. I find it heartwarming and wholesome. Summer is Yang's real mom, and that is a FACT! (suck it, Raven) So I wanted to make a story that pay's homage to that. And while I did leave this chapter on a somewhat dark note, let me assure you guys that this story is about Summer accepting Yang as her daughter, as well as exploring Summer's history a bit (or at least my version of it). And hopefully, ****the story I make will be heartwarming wholesome and kind of sad (probably, my grammar isn't the best)**

**This story is different from my other stories because unlike my other stories, I actually have a planned ending. This story will have 3-4 chapters, and that's it. When will they be completed I don't know.**

**T****his is a story inspired by all the fantastic fan-art and stories of the two of them. I tip my hats to you, my betters.**

**Next story should be Code: RWBY chapter 3, but who knows ****(Don't worry, I am about 50% done with the first draft).**

**Till then leave a review for this story, and I will see you next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

The work of Huntsmen has always shaped summer's life. She was born in a small settlement outside of Mantle. It was a nice, quiet place from what she could remember; however, her family got up and left. With her parents being Huntsmen, she moved across Remnant all the time. She didn't have a fixed place to call home. For several years she would go back and forth between the continents until they finally settled down for a couple of years. But through all the places they had stayed, the isle of the Patch was Summer's favorite. It was the last place where her whole family called home before her family made one final move. When her life turned for the worst.

So it was no coincidence that Summer found herself here. When life pushed, she would always find her way back home. To her once happy place, in the very same woods, she and her brothers would go exploring hunting for "Grimm." Sometimes she wishes she could go back to it all. Maybe if she could somehow convince her parents to stay, life would have been better. Perhaps she would have been a better partner, friend, and mother. But she couldn't.

She was here, and Nyx was dead. This island could not distract this time.

She didn't know how long she ran, but it soon became Darkfall, and she found herself at the edge of FreeBird Canyon. The biggest canyon of its kind in all of Remnant, it almost spits the entire island in half. With a base so far below that, it was below even some parts of the ocean. It was a beautiful little area. Summer just sat there, at what looked out across the world.

Her breath was still erratic when she got there. She had trouble keeping her eyes straight, and vertigo hadn't slowed down. She fell face-first at the foot of the summit of the cliff overlooking the dark descended valley. She was just 5 feet away from falling off the cliff.

_Why was she like this _she thought to herself as she sat up. Where did these thoughts and feelings come from? She knew Yang was almost two years old. She doesn't even know the words meant when they came out of her mouth. Yet when but when she did, it felt like the whole world wrapped around her throat and squeezed it tight. Why did Yang have so much power over her?

_"Mama!"_ The voice rang in her head. Her body froze up colder than the winter breeze that swept through the island. Her eyes shot open and her eyes. Yang's voice rang so clearly in her ears. Such a beautiful voice, that was all so damning. Then another familiar voice, one that was so close to being forgotten, spoke in her mind, _"Can I go swimming, mommy?" _She couldn't hold the sickness in anymore, and she hurled up whatever lays in the bottom of her stomach.

"Why?" She mumbled, having a hard time holding back her tears. "Why do I keep fooling myself like this?"

The image of her son's bright smile came to the forefront of her mind.

"I can't have a family."

_They break too easily_

She just sat there curled herself up in a ball, her hands shaking, not from the cold. And she just sat there, meditating on her feelings.

"You can though,"

She looked up behind her and saw her Tai standing behind a tree. Walking from the tree line. He was very hesitant to do so; each step he took tword her was like an eggshell that he was so careful not to break.

"Sorry, I know you want to be alone when you come here, but this time, I felt like I had to check up on you." He said, making his way to the edge of the cliff with Summer.

"Where is Yang?" She asked, immediately noting the baby's absence. "You didn't leave her alone, did you?" her voice tensed up at the very thought.

"No-No!" Tai exclaimed, "I left her with Mallari's. She was more than willing to watch her."

Summer nodded her head a little bit before hiding it in her arms. Tai stood for a bit, waiting to hear if she would say something else, but she didn't.

"Now this brings me back," He said after the two just sat in silence for a while. "When you first came to town, way back when. Isn't this the place you Hijack our game of Huntsmen."

"Is it? "Summer said, not lifting her head out of her arms. "I haven't noticed."

"Yeah!" He said a little more eagerly, "You came out of nowhere and said that you wanted to the team leader. I said something like "HrrrHrrr Only the strongest should be the team leader HrrHrr" and you punched me in the face. Then you became our leader."

"What do you want, Tai?" raise her head and glared at Tai. "Why are you here?"

Tai looked at Summer for a bit. His eyes changed from reminiscing to something different. He then took a knee next to Summer. He hesitated for a little bit, wanting to know if it was okay to sit next to her. She gave a simple nod, and he sat down beside her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Summer's scroll. "I saw the video, Summ." Summer stared at it for a second, and slowly reached out and grabbed it.

"I am sorry, Summer," Tai told her, "I am."

"You're sorry?" Summer laughed a little bit, but no humor was found by it. "You're not the one who ran out on you screaming like a manic. I am the one who is sorry."

"I know, I know, and you did. But I don't blame you, but I get it."

Summer looked at him, gawking "I didn't see it coming. I mean, how could I let this happen?"

"How could you have let this happen?" Tai reiterated her words as if he found some humor in them. "Summer, you spend every day with her. You cook for her. You bathe her. You read to her every night. Sounds like a mother to me."

"But I can't be a mom. Raven is her mom" Summer stated the Vertigo once again starting back up. "Yang is still young. I still have time to make her call me aunt or something."

"I don't think I even want her to even know about Raven," Tai admitted.

"What?" Summer wasn't quite sure she heard Tai right. "I know what Raven did was horrible, but."

"But, she still did," Tai finished, his closing his eyes as he continued, "I don't care what the reason was. If she wanted to be a part of Yang's life, she would have stayed. I would much prefer it if what Yang looked up to you and not someone who casually toss people aside."

Summer was speechless, what was happening right now? "Tai, stop it. Please," She told him with a tone of caution.

"But at the same time, I know what you've been through. I know that it can be rough."

"No, you don't Tai." Anger now taking control of her voice. "You don't get to underplay this. You do not understand, how could you?. She stood up, and her fist was clenching so hard that her knuckles turned white. Her eyes became misty, and all of a sudden, everything that ever was wrong in her life came pouring out, and Summer couldn't stop it. "You came from a nice family, a loving home that was always full of people. Me? Every Family I ever had fall apart. I mean My father was shot and left for dead. I was the youngest of 7, and in a blink of an eye, I became an only child. Our old team has all but disbanded. My Marriage is over, and My son is dead!"

Her breath now started to get ragged a little bit. She took a bit of time to regain her breath. The snowfall began, and the tears did not stop. "And I don't even have to explain to you the situation with my Mom, and how messy that is."

"Summer, I didn't mean..." Tai began.

"Don't pretend you understand Tai. You don't know what it's like to lose to start your life over and over again! You don't know how I feel!" she yelled.

The Echo's of her voice hit the tree line, scaring several of the birds. Tai just sat there too stunned for words, and Summer just stood there with hot streams of tears falling down her face.

"You are right," he said softly "You are right, I don't. I really don't understand. but I have come close, extremely close."

"You know how I felt when Raven left me." He began, Summer remembered how hard the first couple of months had been. Tai was inconsolable, wouldn't leave his house. He stopped taking missions, and worst of all, he just stopped eating. " I know that it doesn't sound as much, but you saw what I was like."

Summer just sat there, looking at him. Her expression was not changing. "Tai, no offense, but you can't compare Raven to me right now."

"When we got married after we graduated, I thought we were going to together forever." He told her, sulking his head low beneath his shoulders. He almost began to think about what might he had been. But he forcefully shunned those wild thoughts from his mind. "No one thought we were going to make it. Hell, she didn't even think we could be a thing, let alone get married. I was so willing to have it work, but it didn't. And I didn't take it so well."

"Tai," Summer told her friend, "It's not your fault."

"Those first couple of months were one of the darkest days of my life. But even then it wasn't the worst moment of my life. Did I ever tell you what was the worst moment of my life?"

"No," she said

Tears started forming around his eyes. "When you moved to Mountain Glenn. When I had heard, you died"

Summer's heart sank. "Tai..."

Her partner looked up at her. "I mean, you were a big part of my life. And you were my best friend, and suddenly you were gone just like that. Did I ever tell you that? That you were my best friend?"

Summer shooked her head. "No, you didn't."

Tai looked down at his fidgeting fingers. "No... I always regretted not telling you that before you left."

Summer looked at Tai and sat down next to him. "You thought I was dead?" she told him.

He nodded, " , when the mountain fell, all I ever heard was there were no survivors. I had hoped that you somehow survived, but it wasn't for a while till I heard that you were ok. And by pure luck, we were put on the same teams. I couldn't believe my luck I knew I was going to be ok" He smiled "I mean we got our dream jobs, I got married everything seemed to be going well for me. And I like to think some of it had to do with you."

"Tai, I am not Raven," Summer told him, Flatley. "I am my own person. I can't just wave my hands and make your life good again."

Tai just sat there for a moment and took it in for a second. He then stood up at the edge of the cliff, picking Summer up with his hand. The two hold their hands on their own.

"I know you're not. That's not what I am getting at. You have always been the person I aspired to be. Headstrong confident, as well as caring and well-meaning. And I love you for it. I just want someone like that for Yang too."

"I don't know Tai," she admitted breaking off from him. "I am just so tired of everything, especially since..." She stopped.

"Since what?" Tai asked.

Summer hesitated. Should she tell him the truth that she and Raven learned about Salem? Her immortality? How nothing in this world can stop her. They have been fighting her for so long, and for each victory, they thought they had earned against her was nothing more than cementing a stalemate. Summer is willing to go on further, but Raven was not. She doesn't know how Tai would react to all this. But before she could properly tell him anything, her stomach decided once again to do an upheaval.

"BLAHURG," she let loose over the Valley side, startling her boyfriend.

"Oh, My Gods," He exclaimed, "Summ you, alright?"

Yeah, she heaved, wiping her mouth as she stood back up. "This has just left me a little bit uneasy."

"I am sorry, Summ," He told her, "I didn't want this night to end like this."

"I..." Summer began to say something. But then her Scroll started beeping.

"Its Oz," she said "she looked down and saw the message sent to her screen. "He has a mission for me to do. He wants me to meet in his office."

"Back in Vale?" He said, "at this time of night?"

"Yeah, I guess it's important" She dusted off some of the snow clinging to her hood "I guess I will head off right now."

"I will come with you," Tai said

"No, go back to Yang. We will talk more when I get back."

"Summer..." he said, reaching his arm out to her, but she ignored and made her way to the out of the Canyon to get the next ride out of Patch while Tai just stood there alone in the snow.

* * *

There was something about Becean at night that made Summer nostalgic. It has been a while since she has been at her old campus, the former castle gleamed in the moonlight. She couldn't keep track of the numerous shenanigans that she and her team had pulled when they students. She can't believe it has already been more than a decade since they all graduated. As Summer walked through the grounds to meet her professor, she couldn't help but look back.

She eventually made her way to the CTT elevator and made her way up Beacon tower. After listening to an appropriate amount of elevator music, it came to a halt opening up to the headmasters. There stood her old professor, looking over some paperwork as Summer entered.

"Summer, how delighted it is to see you," He said, coming up from his desk. With his cane in hand and walked over and greeted his former student.

"Hey, professor! Nice to see you as well" She greeted, she stared at the silver hair professor. Even now, he looked so young. Even with the dark old-timey spectacles, it was hard to believe that they were around the same age her much less a thousand years old.

"Please, Summer. You haven't been my student for a long timecall me Oz" He insisted

"No, I don't think I will" Noting the extrem awkawardness that would make her feel, "What's with the new getup? Are you trying to be an old person that badly?"

"What?" He exclaimed, looking down at his wardrobe choice. "I think it comes of a mysterious but approachable."

"Oz, you look like a formal hipster," she dragged. Ozpin laughed; it was unbecoming of him. Not that Ozpin wasn't known for cracking a smile, but it doesn't fit him. He laughs like a mischievous old man, and honestly, it was very contagious. Summer caught herself laughing with him for a bit.

"How are things going for you, Summer?" he began starting the social pleasantries of a pre-mission banter.

"Oh, things are... going good" She hesitated, not wanting to go into the details about what happened tonight.

"Trouble at home with Tai?" Ozpin asked concerningly

"No, no, nothing that you need to worry about." She asserted, "Just things are happening with him and Yang."

"Ah, yes, how is the little Xiao Long?" He asked,

"Well, she is currently teaching herself to dance," She admitted, laughing a little bit, imaging the girl in nothing but her diapers doing the little dragon dance. "And apparently doesn't like getting her hair cut"

"Yes, I have heard," he said, "Losing Carter's was a real travesty."

"What about you" Summer was very interested in changing the conversation around "How are things going with that red-head girl you have been dating? What was her name Viki, Nike Nicho?" Summer asked

The Old wizard's face blushed for a moment, then a different look on their face. A face Summer was familiar to seeing but necessary on the professor's face sadness

"I think she is doing well. We ended things a couple of weeks ago."

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that. You guys were going out since forever" Summer was now feeling pretty awkward for bringing it up.

"Yes, well, you know as well as anyone the responsibilities we have. The mission comes first, no matter how taxing it might be"

"You seem to be taking it well." she amitted

Ozpin shifted a bit of his weight onto his cane. "It is... what is." Summer knew him well enough to know he was not. But he also has a big responsibility to uphold, so he doesn't have much of a choice.

"Anyway to the mission" He exclaimed

"The mission" Summer agreed

Ozpin set his scroll down on his desk, and the lights in his office began to darken. Then projected a light blue artificial map of Remnant, it then zoomed in on the northern pole of the continent of Solitace. The Icey tundra.

"We have been getting disturbing reports about Grimm activity up in Solitace. Apparently, some Grimm have been festering near some Colonies."

"No offense Professor, but why are you handling this one. Why not the Atlas board." She stated this seems like a normal job, that she could find on the job board. Why was the headmaster himself bringing her in on a case on the other side of the world?

"Because Summer there are traces of irregular behavior in the Grimm. Citizens are getting lured out of there homes at Knight. And disappearing without a trace."

"Again, why are you calling me in?" She asked, "I am all done for the job, but you called me for it. Why?"

"Because it is happening in the village of Neefäll. You are familiar with it, I presume."

"That's the village I was born. Its where I once called home," She saw the village from the hologram sight and felt a sharp sense of nostalgia for that place, so many good memories there, as well as equally as bad. she clenched her fist now more than ever getting ready to take the job. "What else do we know about it?"

"The Grimm's behavior is different than any we have on record. I could be the start of something dreadful" Ozpin relented. "This seems different than an attack by a Ghiest or some sharp Beowulf. It must be something different."

"You think its Salem?"Is she plotting something big?" She asked him. If Salem was involved, then the whole situation just got a whole lot worse for the Villagers as well as Remnant.

"These might be her creations, but I have nothing concrete about to suggest she is planning something big." He admitted, walking around the projected Globe," Although whats she considers to be small to her tends to be dangerous."

"When can I fly out?" She asked.

"Immediately, I have a Bullhead pulled up and ready." He turned off the map, and the lights once again turned on. Ozpin then made his way back to his big clockwork chair to get back to whatever professing he was up too. But before he did, he gave Summer one last piece of advice, "I would think it would be wise for you to sleep on the way there. It is quite the flight."

"Still looking out for your favorite student?" She teased with a smile.

"Always," He said with a warmly as he took a seat at his desk.

Summer head her way back to the elevator to take off to start the mission.

"One more thing." He announced before Summer could press a button. "Umm, Another Huntsmen has been assigned to this case already. He is a Huntsmen that the town had hired to guard it, He's more than willing to fill you in on more details."

"Ok, I will have him bring me up to speed when I get here," She said, there was something in Ozpin's voice that had her concerned.

"He's here now actually. And before I send you out, I want to make sure of something," he said with a thick voice of caution, which was weird since Summer assumed that they were done talking bout the dangerous part of the mission.

"Make sure of what?" she asked.

"Well..." He stumbled, haking some weird gestures with hands as if he had predicted some awkward encounter "If the two of you could work together professionally,"

"You have never asked this question before." Summer looked at her, Professor. She was confused as to why this was a priority to him. Ozpin had sent her on many dangerous missions. So why was he acting like this now? "Why? Who is the person."

A ding was heard from behind her, and a deep gnarly voice answered, "A complete stranger now apparently."

Summer recognized that gravelly tone. She hadn't heard it in ages, but she could recognize it from anywhere.

She turned around and stood before her, a tall, brooding huntsman his dark hair gelled back, a red cape that had seen better days, as well as brooding demeanor. The telltale signs of an emo phase that lasted a bit too long.

It was none other than Qrow Brawen. Her ex-husband.

"Hey there peddles." he said, "It's been a while."

* * *

**And that's it for tonight folks, sorry if its a bit short. I decided to focus a bit more on Tai and Summer's relationship in this chapter and to be honest, I don't know how it's going. I have never really written a romance before, and I don't have a lot to go off on. I know people like talking about how two different characters draw towards one-another because of similar trauma or shared experiences. Still, I don't think that alone makes a good relationship. Something more has to be done than just having a similarity. So hopefully what I am writing makes sense.**

**Also, I am going to guess that some people are wondering, about the lack of an actual Yang in this chapter, even though this is a Summer and Yang story. Well, it is but about Yang but Its also Summer's story. Yang is a big part of the story, but Summer is the one going on the journey that will ultimately end with her accepting Yang and being ready to be a mother again. So to make that possible, toddler Yang is going to be on the back burner ... for now.**

**Also, more Summer backstory reveal! Mountain Glenn has to be important to the relevant to the main story again right? But yeah that's just the headcanon that I have for Summer. Since RWBY doesn't have a Timeline of any sort its a real pick and chooses to what happened when. And I like drawing parallels between Yang and Summer. They both lost their families but both in a very different way.**

**That's all I have for this chapter. I really like Summer being Yang's mom. And summer is such a blank slate in the canon that I like to see where it takes me. Hopefully, you like it. Give me a review of what you think. I am open to all criticisms and complaints as I said before this is kinda new ground for me. And I don't know how well this chapter turned out like at all. I am just too tired to do anymore.**

** The next update should be for the Ned AU, Darklist, or Angel of Death. Then I will come back around to do Code RWBY 4. But until then, please enjoy this chapter as well as all of the other pieces I have written.**


End file.
